Saturday, August 15, 2009
THE GREAT HEALTH CARE REFOTM DEBATE.........
The renewed health care reform debate currently underway throughout o country underscores just how important an issue it is for American families. In as abundant and affluent nation as ours, that 47 million persons of our 300 million plus population is without any health insurance coverage at all, is scandalously wrong. Health Care Reform has been a diffcult and contentious American consideration for over a century. The first American Presidential election campa ign in which health care reform was a major issue was 1912, that renowned three way race between incumbent Republican President William Howard Taft, former Republican President Theodore Roosevelt, running as the standardbearer of the 'Bull Moose' Progressive Party, and Democratic New Jersey Governor Woodrow Wilson. Roosevelt campaigned long and hard for passage of a National Health Program. President Harry S Truman made it a central plank of his uphill election effort. Of course, Presidents Clinton and Obama have campaigned for health care reform. Time for talking shop is well past. If, "money the mother's milk of politics", can provide obstacles to health care reform with political consultants, profressional organizers and bankrolling millionaires, then a fair and honest health care reform initiative needs to be put before the American people debated openly and with integrity, not these contrived protest productions at town hall meetings And if the American politics of 2009 dictates more stalemate and status quo , blocking reform, then why don't we begin again by finding a humane and civilized way to include all our uninsured sister and brother citizens ?.........Fr. Troy
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Here is a copy of the letter I sent to President Obama.
Dear President Obama—Regarding health care reform
Because the congress instead of the administration has been constructing the proposed reforms for health care many negative rumors have spread—that have the potential of defeating any proposed bill. Some of these rumors have been cause for concern among many people. You dispelled these rumors at your town hall meeting and I heard another town hall meeting dispel my concern about attaching an abortion mandate to the bill (Please don’t ever do that). It seems to me that the desire to have a public option is causing the whole issue to be put in jeopardy. Please consider a plan I think would work and not cost so much—
· Require that all people in the United States over the age of 18 enroll for insurance (The fact that many persons age 18 through 40 think they can do without it until a crisis occurs, is hurting everybody. When a crisis occurs they go to emergency rooms and create bills that not only ruin them financially, but raise everybody else’s health costs to offset the cost incurred).
· Mandate that all insurance carriers do the following:
1. Create a basic health coverage plan that has no pre-exiting condition clauses,
2. The program will have no deductible, a very low office visit cost ($5) and cover pregnancy, children’s medical needs, a basic dental plan, illness prevention costs, immunizations, routine physicals, lab work, x-rays, prostheses, needed medical equipment, emergency care, prescriptions, women’s health programs, men’s health programs, a wide range of cancer treatments, mental health treatment, drug rehab, specialized treatments for persons suffering from chronic or seriously impairing illness of all kinds—including--but not limited to transplants, long-term medical costs, and home health care costs.
Note: If insurance carriers were required to cover all of the usual costs covered by Medicare—Medicare would not be needed.
3. Insurance carriers should offer this coverage to everybody without any bias--on a sliding scale based on ability to pay (As determined by a federal government formulary). Those persons who fall below the ability to pay the lowest cost would be supplemented by an annual government grant—from the person’s state with assistance as needed from the federal government. This grant should be renewed by the participant with the assistance of the health care provider each year—so that when the person is able to assume more responsibility for their own insurance—they do so. Exception—children under 18 are covered without cost--as are persons who are cognitively, psychologically, (seriously) medically, or (seriously) physically disabled.
· Give employers an incentive to pay for this coverage for their employees by reducing their taxes based on the number of workers covered by insurance—including the employer.
· Encourage health insurance carriers or private health care providers to compete with each other by offering special coverage packages for persons wishing to purchase things like alternative health care (chiropractic, acupuncture, etc.) cosmetic surgery and treatments; fertility treatments (that go beyond routine diagnosis, and non invasive treatments, which should be covered under the basic plan), and extraordinary dental care—including implants. Competition for these services should mean that carriers offer these at a reasonable cost or by combining multiple services in one package..
Note: Some cosmetic surgery should already be covered since burn victims, crime victims, and persons with scarring due to cancer or necessary surgeries should be covered under the normal plan.
Dear President Obama: I so hope you will actually see this and consider my plan. I feel it eliminates the need for a public option, could be accepted by most everybody because it allows insurance companies to still compete for money, and reduces the costs of health care for everyone.
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